Prologue

PROLOGUE

CALVIN KEATON RENSHAW

Age 12

“This is your legacy, Son.”

My father spread his arms wide, spinning in a circle as he showed me around the brand-new headquarters for Renshaw International. His pride and joy. He’d started the security company ten years before, out of a rented office space in a questionable neighborhood, and quickly built it into a multi-million dollar enterprise. As we walked through the state-of-the-art facility with its shiny chrome floors, glass walls, and high-tech gadgets as far as the eye could see, an overwhelming sense of pride came over me.

“One day this will all be yours, Calvin. The money, the fame, and the women who will pant after both.”

I didn’t care about any of that, not like he did. Sure, the money would be great to have, but I already had a sizable trust fund. No, I wanted to help people who no longer had a voice. Like my mom. My angel. Her murder had never been solved and it haunted me, knowing the person who’d taken her from us three years ago had never been brought to justice.

“It’s incredible, Dad. ”

“You’re old enough now to start training. After school and weekends, your ass will be here. I’ll whip you into shape in no time flat.” He crossed his arms over his expansive chest, giving me a once-over in the process.

I was tall for my age, standing at five foot six inches, but I was thin with little to no muscle definition. Dad said on numerous occasions that I was built like my mom, which was fine by me considering I favored her in looks as well. When I looked in the mirror, it was her jet-black hair and dark eyes I saw rather than him.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my dad, but in the years since her death, he’d grown cold. He was no longer the kind, caring man who’d raised me; the man who used to play catch with me in the backyard every day after school. In his place was someone I didn’t recognize.

Age 17

He was gone again.

Every three months for the past two years, like clockwork, Dad would disappear for five days without leaving a note. I’d made the mistake one time of asking where he’d been. After he backhanded me so hard I saw stars, I never questioned him again. He’d show up eventually, acting as if he’d been here the whole time. In fact, if anyone called, that was exactly what I was expected to tell them. Only his partner and second-in-command at Renshaw International, Jasper Aires, knew about my lies. He’d stop by the house to drop off groceries and check to make sure I had everything I needed each and every time. He had become a father figure and trusted friend rolled together.

I could only assume with what they did for a living, Dad was off on some mission; rescuing a damsel in distress. At least that’s what I told myself. It just seemed odd…the timing of it all.

Even though I’d been working at Renshaw part time since I turned fifteen, I wasn’t privy to any of their high-profile cases yet. Initially, I was stuck tagging along with a few low-level operatives who were hired by wives or husbands to find out if their spouses were cheating. That shit was boring with a capital B, but it was a means to an end.

Once I hit another growth spurt, topping out at six foot two, Jasper decided I was better suited for more intense field operations. My training was brutal. When I wasn’t at school, I was at the gun range or in martial arts classes. He even pulled some of their old investigation files for me to go through. I loved every minute of it. My mind was constantly shifting from one scenario to the next, desperate for answers; hungry for knowledge. I was like a dog with a bone. And the high I felt when I solved the mystery? It was like nothing I’d ever felt before.

The newest task Jasper had me studying was safecracking, which was what led me to picking the lock—a skill I’d already mastered—of the door to my father’s home office. I knew better than to go snooping, however, my uncontrollable drive to be the best wouldn’t allow for anything less than perfection. Monday at the office would not be my first attempt, not when there was a perfectly good safe to practice on in the meantime. I could just see the proud look, which would undoubtedly cross Jasper’s face when I made safecracking my bitch.

In under thirty seconds, I was standing in the middle of the room where I used to play with my toy cars on the area rug as a kid, while my dad sat behind the huge oak desk, barking orders over the phone. I’m certain he thought I was too young to remember, but those times were how I knew where the safe was located.

Walking over to the desk, I pulled the chair back and plopped down, a grin sliding across my face when I noticed the juice cup sitting on top of a stack of papers.

“Could you make it any easier for me, Dad?” I huffed out a laugh.

Reaching down to my left, I applied inward pressure to the center of the bottom drawer until I heard a faint click, which signified the built-in locking mechanism had released. Then, I pulled the knob with my other hand until the drawer slid out, revealing a flat black panel with a biometric scanner.

Step one complete.

Picking up the used juice glass by the rim, I sat it in front of me, then grabbed the tape dispenser. After snapping off a few longer pieces, I placed them onto the cup until I found what I was looking for. A usable fingerprint. Carefully lifting the tape to ensure the integrity of the print, I turned back to the drawer and positioned it on top of the scanner, using my thumb to push down. I was confident I’d done everything correctly, however the seconds it took for the lights on the panel to change from red to green felt like years.

Knocked step two out of the park.

For as high-tech as my dad’s company was, it came as a surprise to see he had an old-time safe with a dial lock. Who even had those anymore? Thank God I was prepared for anything.

Taking my backpack off, I rummaged through the inside until I found a stethoscope. I put the earpieces in and put the bell next to the dial, then went to work. Slowly turning the dial to the right, I listened closely until I heard two faint clicks .

Success!

Repeating the process to the left, then back to the right, I thought for sure I’d hit pay dirt on the first go round, but alas, it took an additional twelve tries before I got it right. The plan was simply to shut it all back up and leave the room exactly as I’d found it, except that plan was blown all to hell when I saw a large manila envelope inside with my mother’s name on it. Actually, there were multiple envelopes, nine in total, each with a different woman’s name written across the front, along with DVDs, earrings, and necklaces.

I saw red. Had that bastard been cheating on Mom? Was this the old man version of a spank bank?

Snagging the one marked “Sheila,” I ripped it open and dumped the contents on the top of the desk.

“What the fuck?”

I jolted back, my lungs seizing and my stomach revolting at the images scattered before me. A woman, beaten all to hell, tied to a chair. The same woman, lying naked, spreadeagle on a dirty mattress, covered in blood. Each picture was worse than the last.

My hands shook as I pushed away from the desk, being cautious not to touch anything else, and reached in my back pocket for my phone. Dialing the one person I trusted besides myself, I waited breathlessly for him to answer.

“Hey, kid. Everything okay?”

“N-No, Jasper.” I stuttered. “Everything is fucked.”